Sunday, June 24, 2012

C4T #2

For C4T #2 I have been assigned to Mr. Bill Genereux. He is an educator at Kansas State University. He teaches web development, networking, computer programming, and digital media technology. He is also continuing his education at Kansas State University and is determined to receive a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the education department.
On June 7, 2012, Mr. Bill Genereux wrote about how he felt about test scores, grades, and fairness. He mentioned that society looks to the teacher and expects all students to learn at the same level and at the same time, and if the class does not do this then they look to the teacher for an explanation. Reality is that not all students learn at the same pace. Some students will grasp a concept quicker than others and it is the teachers responsibility to work with each student to help them along the way to understanding all concepts. He also mentioned that in college some students may not pass the first time, but we can not give up on the student. He feels that sometimes our job as an educator means we are the coach. We must encourage the student and be the support they need for the class.
I agree with Mr. Bill Genereux for many reasons. There are several times that children do not get the support they deserve from family or friends. We should always encourage our students to learn and give them the chance to better their future. I believe when we make every child feel this way it will encourage them to learn and sometimes may create a bond between the student and teacher. They may not ever get this attention from the parents, but this is where we must be very careful. We do not want the student to feel like we show them favoritism or they get extra privileges. We must treat every student with equal respect.

Seth Godin & Horrace Mann
On June 20, 2012, Mr. Genereux mentioned how he recently read an e-book by Seth Godin titled Stop Stealing Dreams. The book discusses the author views on public education and the changes that he feels need to take place to prepare students for their futures. It was interesting to see how our education system is still the same from 150 years ago.
In this post Mr. Genereux was discussing public education and how it is still based on the same plan of action from 150 years ago. When public schools first began the goal was to prepare students to work in the factories around the country after graduating. Now, we need to prepare our students for jobs that do not yet exist. How do we do that? We incorporate technology into our curriculum. We need to strive to teach our students the tools so they can be prepared for their future goals. I never knew the history of public school systems so it was interesting to learn the purpose of public education. This post also helped confirm that the world is forever changing and we just prepare our students for the future.